


a shade of blue

by oh_adam



Category: Logan Lucky (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, F/M, Kylo Ren - Freeform, Kylo Ren Adjacent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-06-08 00:05:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15231006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oh_adam/pseuds/oh_adam
Summary: Humans, Clyde knew,  were a dangerous breed. He somehow forgets that around you.





	1. i

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aclamclriver (TingedAutumn)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TingedAutumn/gifts).



> Dedicated to Anne and Vanessa. The truest of pals.

Circling the purple and green coral reefs with ease, Clyde made his way through the rapidly darkening water. The night would be here soon, and with it, the promise of a storm. Anticipating the drop in temperature, the myriad of colorful reef inhabitants started looking for the best place to withstand the violent currents to come. Checking for remains of fishing nets, Clyde used his right hand and his teeth to help tighten the strings of his pouch and set off for the next reef formation.

Letting a swift current take him farther into the ocean, he noted with apprehension a shadow above the water, still far away but seeming to approach in his direction. Taking advantage of his powerful form, Clyde quickly swam up and broke the water’s surface, wet, thick hair clinging to his face. Fear gripped him when he noticed the lone figure on a boat, apparently unbothered by the lightning on the horizon. _Human_.

As a youngster, Clyde had been curious and bold, much to his mama’s despair. Always venturing outside their colony’s limits by himself, he would look for lost human treasure or fellow creatures caught by one of their nets. Whenever he set one free he felt strong and mature, as capable as his brother and as smart as his sister. His happiness, however, would be short-lived.

Once, just as he was on the cusp of adulthood, ready to begin his training as a warrior and the search for a potential mate, Clyde was startled while helping a small shark. Deftly cutting the strings around the animal, he failed to notice the net closing around his own left arm. What happened next was a blur, and later all the could remember was the sensation of being pulled above the water and trashing against his binds, followed by voices and agonizing pain. He’ll never know how he freed himself or how he got back to his colony, but that day his life was changed forever. When his brother found him he was disoriented, bleeding and missing a hand. His luck had left him that day and had not returned since.

Shaking himself from his memories, Clyde prepared to dive back beneath the waves, knowing from experience nothing good could come from contact with humans and their boats. Anxiously pushing his tail against the current, he couldn’t help noticing how the lone human - a woman, he could see now - was almost thrown from her boat as she purposely dropped something into the sea. Litter. Great. He really should be heading back. Lightning was crossing the already dark sky and the waves were splashing around you violently.

As Clyde finally dove back under the water’s surface and started a practiced journey home, he was momentarily stunned to find himself watching you take an almost graceful plunge into the depths, quickly sinking into the dark ocean. For a shameful instant, he considered doing nothing, allowing the sea to claim a litterer’s life. The guilt, however, was too much, and he immediately and hastily swam after you, tail and fins working with a purpose. You would not drown.

Reaching your plunging form, he grasped your arm and held you close to his chest, frantically swimming back to the surface. Breaking the water line, he made sure to keep your head above the shifting tides, knowing humans had no gills to help them breathe water. Ignoring the cold rain hitting your faces, Clyde looked back and forth, considering his options. You were unconscious but still warm, hair moving with the tide. He needed to find shelter as soon as possible if you were to live.

In the distance, he could see your upturned boat slowly sinking, caught between the dark sky and the darker ocean. Maybe, if he still had both his hands he’d be able to turn it back and lay you inside it, trusting his dexterity and the muscles in his arms and tail to pull it off. Even using his two hands it’d be a struggle, he knew. With just one, it was impossible.

He needed Jimmy. His brother would know what to do, would come up with some crazy plan that worked out in the end. Unfortunately, Jimmy was working on some far-off colony. Clyde would have to do.

Licking his lips, he turned around, still holding his precious catch to his body. Refusing to admit defeat, he searched around until he, finally, noticed a small remote island to the east. Gathering his strength and making you as comfortable in his arms as he could, he set course for the island, blue tail flipping madly underneath the waves.

Although the piece of land wasn’t far, Clyde struggled to swim while keeping your head above the water, constantly having to turn you this way or that. The moment he’d glance at the island to measure how far it was, he’d catch your face turning towards the ocean as if you were trying to make it harder for him to save you. And the frequent bolts of light crossing the sky only contributed to his discomfort. No sea creature should be this close to the surface during a storm. With his luck, you’d both be struck dead, joined carcasses spending eternity together on the ocean floor.

Approaching the island, Clyde faced another challenge. How was he going to get you out of the cold water? He wouldn’t get far with you in his arms. Should he dump you on the sand and try rolling you over? That felt wrong, but out of the ocean he was slow and heavy, and he’d be vulnerable in case another human appeared. The thought alone sent a chill down his spine. What did he get himself into?

Lips pressed thin with worry, he looked down and searched your face for signs of your condition. Blue tinted lips on a slightly pale face. Not good. Reaching out, he held his hand against your delicate throat, the faint heartbeat pulsing there giving him hope. With renewed vigor, Clyde darted for the shore, making the shortest possible path to a small cave close to the beach’s edge. If he, somehow, got you inside, you’d be sheltered from the rain and the cold winds.

The wet sand was rough on his abdomen, and it felt worse against his tail, scraping his fins and scales tender, while his lungs protested the effort of breathing dry air. At least it was dark, so he was less likely to be spotted by your fellow humans. Laying you down on the sand with as much care as he could using only one hand, Clyde looked around considering his options, heart thundering in his chest, both from his efforts and his worry for you. He could leave you here and hope other land people found you in the morning, but that was a gamble in itself. What if no one visited the island in the next few days?

Relieved at the dwindling rain, Clyde recalled having seen humans helping each other when they drowned, back when he was younger and would often get closer to beaches. But now he was clueless about what exactly they did. Whatever happened, it was a violent affair that involved a lot of force and, punching maybe? Or was it slapping? Sometimes with a kiss at the end. Blushing, he dared a glance at your lips, alarmed to realize he had never had the chance to be this close to a human before.

He had no way of comparing you to the rest of your kind but compared to him, you looked small and frail. No fins on your forearms, no gills on your throat. Slender shoulders compared to his broad shape. Delicate hands with short nails, unlike his sharper, longer ones. You had earrings yet smelled unmated. He quickly looked down from the mounds on your chest although what captivated him the most was the sight of your legs.

So completely different from his strong blue form, your weird, long, scaleless appendages looked firm but soft to the touch, though Clyde wouldn’t dare to test his assumptions. Cheeks reddening he guessed at what lay at the apex of your thighs under the white fabric, ignoring that in favor of the bony junction making your leg bend in a way his tail couldn’t. Marveled, he couldn’t stop staring at your toes, the varying sizes piquing his interest. Unable to deny himself this small indulgence, he tentatively reached for the digit closest to him, your left toe.

And he’d be able to satiate his curious mind if not for the sudden kick against his hand. Startled, he slithered back under the safety of the ocean, heart back to its gallop, louder than the waves around him. Wide-eyed, Clyde watched you rolling into your stomach, retching and coughing on the sand. Though it was night, he saw how, on your hands and knees you started a crawl away from the water, in the cave’s direction.

Clutching his stump, Clyde was ready to disappear, suddenly conscious of the fact you were a human female who could tell your people about him-

“Who are you and what have you done to me?” you demanded.


	2. ii

 

“Where am I? What time is it? It’s so dark, I can barely see.”

Clyde knew he was supposed to say something, to explain what had happened to you, but all he managed to do was open and close his mouth, gaping like a dumb blowfish. It was one thing to have you lying unconscious in his arms, but now you’re a living, moving thing. Hair wild against the breeze, distracting legs in motion walking from side to side, you seemed to be looking for something in the wet sand.

“Aren’t you going to come out of the water? I’m freezing!” You say, voice sounding both alien and familiar at the same time. It lacked the drawl of his people, but it wasn’t unpleasant. Not at all. And although you looked as small as before, the intensity of your stare made Clyde rethink his assumption of your frailty.

“I caught you when your boat capsized durin’ the storm. This island was the closest piece of land I could find. I’m Clyde.” He tries, fingers digging deep into the sand to keep himself anchored against the waves hitting his chest. “The sun set a while ago, it’ll take some time before mornin’ comes again. You should go into the cave, it’ll protect you from the wind and lightnin’, at least.” Clyde offers, more calmly than the feels.

“A storm! I could have drowned, what was I thinking? And the boat! Will is going to kill me.” Suddenly quiet, a sorrowful look crosses your face when you add, “Was I carrying anything when you found me?”

“No. ’m afraid not. You dropped somethin’ into the water before you fell, but when I reached you it was long gone.”

Your shoulders drop at hearing that. Silent for a moment, you begin to clean your arms of the sand stuck to your skin. “This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever done.” Capturing his gaze again you softly continued, “Thank you for what you did though, you saved my life tonight. My hero.”

Blushing scarlet and ashamed of his earlier thoughts of letting you drown, there isn’t much Clyde can offer but a mumbled: “It’s alright.” 

“But will you please come out of the water? I’m cold and I’d like to rest somewhere that’s dry. What’s your name again?” you say, giving him your name and looking back towards the cave. “Do you think there are any bats inside? I hate bats.”

“Bats? I don’t know about any, hm, bats, and my name’s Clyde. I’m sorry but I can’t stay. I should head back before your people show up.” Now that he knows you’re well his unease around humans starts to creep back in, and Clyde can’t help but yearn for the security the ocean offers.

“Wait, what? Head back where? I’m coming with you, I’m not staying here by myself. And what do you mean ‘my people’?” your charming feet bring you back to the water’s edge, but uncertainty is clearly written on your face as you fire your questions at him.

“Land people. Meetin’ humans usually end badly for merkind. I need to get back to the ocean in case someone appears-”

“Merkind?”

“-and finds me here.” The uncertainty in your eyes gives way to disbelief and is quickly replaced by anger as Clyde speaks. A perk of having two hot-blooded siblings is learning early in life when a confrontation is coming, so Clyde is ready to dive back under the waves when a bolt of lightning crosses the sky, deafening thunder stinging his ears as the whole beach is illuminated for an instant.

Caught between sand and sea, he watches transfixed as your eyes widen and your whole demeanor changes as you slowly kneel in front of him. A voice that sounds just like his mama is screaming at him to swim, swim and never look back, Clyde. But he can’t. The stories they tell the babes must be true because in that moment, waiting for your touch on his skin, your eyes holding him captive, Clyde feels nothing short of spellbound.

“Are those… gills?”, you whisper, softly resting your hands on his chest, just below his throat. The contact is careful and warm, your touch the lover’s caress he’s never felt. He doesn’t know when he closed his eyes, but when he opens them again you’re closer than before, your breath tickling his mouth. Like this, he’s a head taller than you and when your eyes meet he’s sure one can hear his heart trying to beat its way out of his chest.

Next, you explore the small fins on his left arm. Abruptly ending, part of it was ripped off with his hand. You lightly trace each pointed end with your fingertips and when you reach the mangled stump where the rest of his arm used to be, Clyde braces himself for the pity he’ll inevitably see in your gaze. Except he doesn’t find pity or worse, disgust, only compassion and a tenderness that steals his breath.

Under the slowly reappearing moon, Clyde knows where you’re going next. His tail is the most likely target but that knowledge does little to brace him against the feeling of your gentle hands caressing his lower body from hip to tail fin. He’s sitting on the sand again, close to the water’s edge, supporting himself on his right arm while you kneel beside him; waves crash all around and you’re wet again but you don’t seem to mind.

Clyde never particularly cared for his colors: his brother inherited their mama’s deep crimson scales and Mellie got lucky with her striking shades of lavender and gold. Clyde’s tail and fins are simply… blue. No bright hues or contrasting tones. Just blue. As mundane as the ocean around them. Perfect for cover, not so perfect for attracting a mate. If only he had been born with-

“You’re beautiful. The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” you gasp, “Your tail is such a stunning shade of blue, and your scales feel so soft. They look like they could hurt but they’re so soft to the touch, it’s like silk!” Your hands move up and down on his body and Clyde knows if he lives to a thousand years nothing will ever beat this moment. “I’m probably hallucinating or this is some kind of grief-induced psychotic episode. There’s no way I’m touching a mermaid,” you laugh. 

Clyde knows your reaction is just shock over seeing a merperson for the first time; he won’t let your comments get to his head. Besides, how could he be the beautiful one when you’re right here with him?

“Man. I’m a mer _man_ , miss, and I assure you I’m real. ” As he speaks, Clyde notices the little hairs on your arms standing up and the way a particular splash of water cascades down the valley of your chest. Your nipples are pressed against your coverings and he’d feel bad for staring if you hadn’t just done quite a bit of staring of your own. “This ain’t no common occurrence for me either. It’s not every day that a human female fondles me like this.”

“So-sorry! That was so inappropriate of me,” you stammer getting out of the water and Clyde immediately misses the feeling of your hands on his body, even though he was close to making a fool of himself in front of you.

“I’m just teasin’ you,” he smiles.

Smiling back, you sit on the sand a few steps behind him, and he has to scoot back to reach you. Not an easy feat with his heavy body and only one hand to help. The coarse terrain hurts his backside and scratches at his fin, but he’ll be damned if he lets that get in the way of what’s happening. Whatever that is.

Side by side with you, he delights in the sight of your stretched out legs. You’re once again trying to rid yourself of the bothersome dirt, and his hands itch with the desire to know what your skin feels like. Such weird appendages humans have, almost useless when it comes to swimming. _Which reminds him-_

“Why were you in the middle of the ocean on a stormy night? It must have been somethin’ really important. Or did you risk your life to litter?”, he can’t help the bitterness creeping into his voice. “Do ya have any idea of what litterin’ does to us? To any sea creature?” his stump throbs and he knows he’s being unfair but he can’t help himself, “Do ya know how many times I’ve watched animals bleeding to death because of what humans throw in the ocean?”

“Littering? What are you talking about?” when you turn to look at him your gaze is heated for an entirely different reason, nostrils flaring at his accusation.

“I told you, I saw you droppin’ something into the ocean before you fell.”

“That wasn’t littering! I came here to scatter my father’s ashes!” All energy leaves your body and Clyde feels like he’s offended you in some terrible way. “He passed away a couple days ago and today we held a small ceremony for him. Going home to an empty house was hard. I had a drink or two, and before I knew it I had a bottle of his best whiskey and his urn with me. He always loved the sea, so it seemed like a good idea to take him to a place I knew he’d be happy.”

There’s a lot he doesn’t understand about your tale and recounting it has left you drained, hugging your knees while softly sobbing. You’re silent for a long time, and Clyde wonders if he will ever be able to speak to a female - mermaid or human - without screwing it up in some way.

Exhausted from crying,  you stared at the ocean for some time before asking: “Is that how you lost your hand?”  

“Yes.” There’s not much he can offer besides that. Losing his hand will always be a painful subject for him. He will always wonder what if.

“I’m sorry. I really am.”

“And I’m sorry I upset you, miss. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that. Do you want me to leave you alone?” He doesn’t want to leave, but he will if you ask him to.

“No! Please don’t.” Your eyes are red and puffy (his doing), and a punch to his already aching heart. “Can’t you stay until morning? I’ll feel safer if you stay with me. Please?”

Being here in the morning would only increase the risk of being caught by your people. “Of course. I won’t make it to the cave though, I’m too heavy and the sand scrapes my body,” Clyde laments, pointing to a particularly sore spot on his tail. After a beat, he adds, “Tell you what, why don’t you try to get some rest while I find you somethin’ to eat? You eat fish too, right?”

“Raw? You know, uncooked?” your scrunched up nose makes you look even more precious, somehow.

“Oh, you want me to set the fish on fire? I’m afraid I don’t know how, miss.”

Your laugh is as unexpected as it is beautiful and it instantly eases Clyde’s guilt for hurting you, even as he flushes with embarrassment realizing he must have said something wrong. Jimmy used to swear he knew how to make fire but Clyde never paid him any attention, sure it was just boasting to impress his shoal.

“That’s not what we do exactly, we don’t set the food on fire, we cook it using the fire. And it’s okay, I don’t feel like eating right now.” You pick a fallen scale off the sand and seeing a piece of him between your fingers is enough to send his mind in a path he knows he shouldn’t allow. He does it anyway.

“Miss, you need to eat. It’ll be a while before the sun rises and we don’t know how long it will take for people to come to this island. I won’t be long.” He’s reluctant to leave, but the need to take care of you is stronger.

“Will you come back?” you whisper, biting your lower lip.

 _Always._  “Yes. I’ll come straight to this spot, I promise. My hearin’ isn’t as keen out of the ocean but I can tell there’s nothin’ too scary inside that cave. You’ll be fine.”

Resigned, you take a last look at Clyde before getting up from the sand and entering the small cavern. If he stares at the way your hips move it’s simply because he’s never seen a human bottom before. A beautiful little human bottom.

He breaches the water but hesitates before swimming away, wanting to make sure you’re safe. You return after a moment and sit close to the entrance, glaring at him the whole time. As he dives back under the waves, he allows himself a small smile at the thought of you not wanting him to leave.

The cold ocean welcomes him, bruises forgotten as he lets the currents soothe his body and take him farther and farther away from the beach. He can finally breathe normally and he’s back to his usual agility. He feels like himself again. He’s home. This is the place where he belongs, where he was born and where he’ll live out his days.

Do you enjoy living on land? Are you happy there? Land people have built so many different things, would you miss them if you could compare land to sea? There’s beauty here too. There are reef palaces and ancient ruins, birth festivities and mating celebrations, colossal blind beasts and tiny colorful menaces. He could teach you the best way to attack a school of fish and share the tales of the great kings and queens of the past.

Collecting the most appetizing algae, sea cucumbers, and a few oysters, Clyde regrets not having a bigger pouch with him. He debates going to his colony and asking Jimmy for help, but the idea of you with his brother leaves a sour taste in his mouth.

He darts back to the island just as the sky is showing the first traces of light. Some creatures are rising from their rest while others are only now beginning to doze on the currents around them. Clyde makes quick work of the distance separating you two and he’s rewarded with the image of your sleeping body leaning against a wall, in the same spot where he left you. His heart beats faster and he tells himself it’s due to his recent swimming efforts.

Aware of your need to rest, he drifts along the shore for a moment, careful not to lose his pouch and your simple meal with it. The skies are clear, no trace of last night’s storm in the white clouds above. He stays like that for a bit, until your voice calls out to him.

If you looked beautiful in the moonlight, under the sun you were a vision. He memorizes the shapes of your body as you come to him, the gentle bounce of your breasts and the way your hair shines in the sunlight. He can finally see the color of your eyes and he discovers what’s his favorite eye color from now on. When you smile, the image of kissing your lips comes so clear to him he has to quickly look away, afraid you’ll read it in his eyes.

“It wasn’t a dream, then? I really did meet a mermaid, sorry merman, last night?” you beam at him and he has to physically restrain himself from pulling you into his arms. You’re finally dry and you’d probably resent getting wet again. And being attacked by an aroused fishman. 

“And I did really meet a human,” he grins back. “I brought you some things I hope you’ll enjoy, nothin’ too fancy ’m afraid.” Hesitant all of a sudden over his modest offerings, Clyde vows he’ll bring you the world if you give him the chance to see you again.

“Thank you, Clyde! I’m famished. What is this, though?” barely able to hide your disgust at the sea cucumbers, you reach for the algae as you sit as close to him as possible without stepping in the water.

Gingerly chewing the wet leaf you don’t seem at all pleased and soon enough you discreetly spit it back into the sand. “I’ve had sushi before, but this tastes different. May I have the oysters, please?”

With your help, Clyde quickly shows you the best way to eat oysters and you two eat in companionable silence until you shyly take his hand in yours. “Is it okay if I touch you again? I mean, if I touch your tail?”

“Ye-yeah, that’s fine,” he manages to get out past the lump in his throat. You squeal with excitement as he sits on the sand by your side.

“You’re even more gorgeous than I thought,” you sigh as you touch him once more. “What’s the shade of your tail called?”

“Blue?” he tries.

His answer is met with your laugh and a jab against his shoulder. He could get used to this.

“You’re cold. But it’s not unpleasant,” you chuckle. “And you don’t smell. Fish smell awful, but you smell nice. Like a sea breeze or something,” you add licking your lips. You’re staring at him and Clyde gets the impression you’re about to say something when you turn your face away from him, gazing up at the rising sun in the sky.

“I have somethin’ else for you,” Clyde blurts before he loses his nerve. Pulling on the strings of his pouch with his teeth, he reaches inside and mentions for you to open your hand. When you do, he carefully drops a few pearls into your palm. “Somethin’ for you to remember me by.”

“Clyde,” your eyes are wide as you look down at them, “those are beautiful, but I can’t take them,” you’re looking at him with an odd expression on your face and Clyde’s afraid he offended you in some way.

“Why not? Humans give presents to each other, I know that. So do we. It’s my way of showin’ you I care about you. You’ve got a sea-bound friend now, miss,” he offers with a smile.

“Well, if that’s the case I’ll accept. Thank you, Clyde.” Your kiss on his cheek comes as an entirely welcome surprise.

You’re once again staring at him with an unreadable expression on your face as Clyde notices the sound of boats coming near. His pulse immediately quickens and he’s in the water before he realizes. “Do you know these people?”

“Yes!” you say, the relief evident in your voice.

“Don’t tell them about me,” he pleads. You’re standing on your feet eagerly waiting for the approaching boats. There are three of them and most of the humans inside are dressed the same way. You nod at him when you hear the desperation in his voice, giving him a small smile before turning your attention back to your people.

Clyde plunges into the sea and swims without looking back. Once he’s put enough distance between himself and the beach he wills his panic away and risks coming to the surface, needing to know if you’re safe.

A man picking you up in his arms and spinning you around is the last thing Clyde sees before he dives back under the waves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> find me @ oh-adam.tumblr.com


	3. iii

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the delay y'all. enjoy some clyde fluff ♡

  
"Is this a joke?"

"Mellie-"

"This ain't funny! Remember great-great aunt Adella? Jimmy, you put him up to this?"

"Me? How come this is my fault? I didn't do nothin' this time."

"Mellie, please-"

"Loverboy here got himself a human girl all on his own."

"Jimmy she's not-"

"Mama would skin both of you for this! And me, for lettin' it happen!"

"Nothin' 'appened and I would really appreciate if both of ya stopped talkin' about me like I'm not here!" At his outburst, his siblings at least have the decency to look away with a near-identical grimace. "I've been here listenin' to you two yap all mornin' 'bout mah life when all I've done is say I helped a human woman who almost drowned. And that's it. Nothin' more."

If spending the night with you felt like the daydreams he used to conjure for himself as a youngster, getting back to his colony and finding his brother and sister anxiously waiting for him was the rough awakening that always followed his fantasies. Mood already souring thanks to the looping image of your laughing face as someone - a man - held you in his arms, the last thing Clyde wished to do right now was to have to explain what had happened while he was away. He barely understood it himself.

With an apologetic look and an easy swish of her tail, Mellie gracefully moves from her spot on the opposite wall to his side. Light filters in and out through the windows, casting shifting shadows on the floor. His den wasn't the most spacious, but Clyde enjoyed the privacy that being away from the main coral reefs offered. Not to mention, at least this way he didn't have to constantly feel like an intruder to both his sibling's lives.

Gently taking Clyde's hand in hers, his sister pleads with him: "I was finishing a project and came by to see if you had found the pearls I asked. But you were gone for such a long time I got scared, Clyde! Ever since you lost your hand, you're always home before it gets too dark. I was worried - we were worried, right Jimmy?"

"Yeah. When Mellie got to my den she was so upset I thought someone had messed wit' her. Then we come back here and wait, wait and wait. A storm comes and goes, the sun rises and still no word of you, little brother. I was this close to callin' for a search party." Jimmy gestures with a frown.

"Why? I'm not a babe. You're never home after the sun sets, Jimmy. Always one tail to chase or another. No one calls for search parties then, do they?"

"That's different, Clyde." Jimmy joins them at the other side of the den and tries to run a soothing hand down his back. Clyde stops him with a hard stare.

"How come?"

Jimmy's silence is all the answer Clyde gets. It's all the answer he needs. With a deep sigh, he realizes this conversation is long overdue. Last night's events have stirred something in him and now he feels restless in his own skin.

"I apologize for yellin', I shouldn't have done that. But I won't apologize for livin' my life." Mellie opens her mouth like she's about to interrupt him but Jimmy shakes his head at her and motions for him to continue. "I didn't mean to worry you, Mellie, but you need to understand I can't go on like this. You two need to stop treatin' me like a child, and I need to stop actin' like one."

"The-the woman I helped, she needed me," Clyde added looking down, mind on a beach somewhere above the surface. "I forgot what it felt like to have someone needin' me. It made me feel like myself again." Raking the fingers of his good hand through his floating hair, Clyde alternates his gaze between his siblings. "She didn't look at me as if she was comparin' me to what I used to be _before_ , wonderin' what I could have been _if not_. She trusted me as I am now. And I was enough."

"Oh Clyde, hand or no hand, you've always been more than enough." Mellie scolds him with a fond smile.

"Yeah. Even managed to get a human girl! Damn, little brother, wait 'til I tell the guys!" Jimmy's teasing is met with a punch against his shoulder, courtesy of Mellie, who looks upset once again at the mention of you.

"Nothin' the sort hap'ned, Jimmy. I'm gettin' real tired of repeatin' myself. I rescued her, took her to an island, got her some food-"

"Aw, like a good mate-"

"-AND came back as soon as I could. End of story." No need to mention the many other humans that came to save you. "Are you two happy now? Will you leave me alone so I can finally get some rest?" Clyde finishes, pointing to his anemone bed, its limbs drifting invitingly in the corner of the alcove.

Deep down Clyde knows he's taking his frustration on his brother, but he's past the point of caring. Each inhale hurts his chest, his tail throbs where he chaffed it against the sand and there's a constant pounding deep inside his skull. His brother's teasing is the last thing he wants to face right now.

"Alright, alright, we're leavin'. But don't forget old Earl is expectin' us later tonight." After a beat, Jimmy leaves through one of the openings on the wall but Mellie hesitates to follow him. Clyde knows he's not going to like whatever she's got to say.

"You're not a child, I agree. You know what's for children, Clyde? Fairytales. Fairytales where a kind mermaid lives happily ever after with a beautiful human. The stories end real different in real life, don't they? You'll do well to 'member that."

 

  
~*~*~*~*~

 

A school of manta rays leisurely glides above while Clyde counts the results of his weeks' efforts. Three dozen pearls or so would be more than enough to make it up to Mellie for giving you the ones he'd collected for her. Clyde felt bad for lying, no omitting, how he lost the baubles he had before, but things were only now getting back to normal and he'd hate to disturb the fraught pace he reached with his sister. Jimmy moved on with a joke or two about Clyde's human girlfriend, yet Mellie still gave him suspicious looks when she thought he wasn't looking. He hoped his findings would appease her temper. Besides, looking for pearls gave him the excuse to get out and look for what he really wanted to find.

Taking a moment to enjoy the warm currents around him from his spot on a rock, Clyde observes the rays, now floating far away from him. If the rays kept their course, soon they'd pass by the island where he took you that night. More often than not, he'd find himself drawn back to that place, eyes searching the shore for signs of your presence. Once or twice Clyde saw humans walking along the beach, only to be disappointed when none of them turned out to be you. He knew he should count himself lucky you didn't come back with fifty armed men looking to put him in a cage like a pet - the way his mama's horror stories went - but no matter how hard Clyde tried to reason with his heart, it wouldn't listen to him.

 _Do you think of me as often as I think of you? Do you also worry it was all a dream? Would you take me if I came to you?_ Unbidden, your image - lying alone at night, pressing his gift close to your chest - comes to him. _Would you be alone, though?_ The sound of your pleased shrieks as the man spins you around the beach pierce through his heart like a jagged knife and the lonesome figure in his mind is quickly replaced by that of an intertwined couple.

With his luck, instead of pining like a lovesick fool you probably spent the last fortnight in your lover's arms, bumbling fishman forgotten. Cheeks burning, Clyde remembers Jimmy's rowdy wonderings on the logistics of merpeople mating with humans. It doesn't matter, he tells himself. Clyde would be lucky enough to see you again, and having you in his life - in any capacity - would be more than enough for him.

But, why? Why is he so hung up on you? What is it about you that has Clyde willing to go a thousand argents, west to east, looking for something that might make you smile again? Is it the need to provide and protect you awakened? Is it the wonderment in your eyes the first time you really saw him? Maybe it's the memory of your warm skin against his that keeps him awake at night, watching the shadows of his alcove playing in the walls.

As if conjured by his thoughts, a shadow overhead startles him from his reverie. A boat. Much bigger than the one the sea claimed the night he met you. The creatures around him disappear deep into the ocean, instinct guiding them. His, instead, urges Clyde to leave the rock where he's sitting with a powerful flip of his tail, bubbles fluttering in his wake.

Getting closer to the edge of the water, he can make out a dark shape peering over the boat's side, but he's still too far to see through the blurred waters. About to break the surface and discover the identity of the stranger, Clyde instead is tackled by them, the sudden impact enough to knock the breath off his lungs.

Gripped by unknown hands, he struggles with the attacker and his own thundering heart as they sink deeper under the sea. His hair clouds his vision and in the struggle, he loses the sense of up and down. In his desperation, Clyde realizes the human is wearing one of those appendages they need to breathe underwater and he knows that's his chance to escape. Freeing his hand to pull on the black mask covering his attacker's mouth, he's shocked by the light touch of his enemy's fingertips on his face. His good hand pushes the stranger as far away from him as he can, the human letting themselves be pushed with no resistance, showing no effort to grab at him again.

Ready to seek refuge in the deepest parts of the ocean he can possibly reach, Clyde can't help but risk a glance at the foreigner, even as his tail pointedly flexes back and forth, as if anticipating another attack. He's not prepared for the sight that greets him. You. _Here_.

You're kicking your beautiful legs in the effort to stay afloat, your hands mirroring their counterparts dance. The hair he's longed to see again is splayed around your head, locks shifting in the directions the currents dictate, and it's so different from the last time he saw you Clyde can't help but wonder if this is what you'd look like if you had been born a mer like him.

Noticing the change in his demeanor your lips twitch around the weird contraption in your mouth, in what Clyde suspects is a smile. But what really steals his breath and refills him with all sorts of hopeless hopes he tried to dampen is the look in your eyes. Even though your visor, you seem to drink in the sight of him as much and he drinks in yours. The warmth in your gaze leaves him flushed, and your smile widens. Vixen.

Beckoning him close, you take his hand in yours and point up, the gesture spurring Clyde into action. His arms envelop you close to his strong chest, your smile never dimming as you look up at him. Smoothly heading to the surface, his tail rubs against your thighs and Clyde feels your arms circle around his neck. All too soon though you're both breaching the water line and breathing in the fresh summer air, hair plastered to your faces. Close at hand lies your boat, atop the moving sea.

You back away from him with a small smile and Clyde has to grit his teeth, his fingers gripping you just a little harder as you leave his arms. Watching as you remove your diving equipment, Clyde seizes the moment to take in the miracle that just happened: his beautiful human came back looking for him.

"Yes, I've been looking for you everywhere, Clyde! I can't believe I actually found you", you beam at him.

Blushing once again, Clyde realizes he must have spoken out loud. He's going to have to get a better hold of himself in front of you.

"I wish I had timed my jump a little better though." Brows furrowing, your hands search his chest for signs of injury. "Are you hurt?"

A shake of his head is all he can offer, his traitorous voice having deserted him. It'd take a stronger male than Clyde to resist the temptation of leaning his face into your palm when you tentatively brush against it. With a sigh, you begin to comb his hair, your touch soothing and gentle until Clyde feels cocooned between your hands. His silence must be contagious because soon enough you're both quiet, changing tides and seagulls the only sounds heard while he enjoys your caresses.

When Clyde opens the eyes he didn't know he'd closed, you're staring at him, an unnamed expression in your gaze. Your thumb gently traces his jaw, parted lips calling to him, but before he can act, though, you swiftly pull away, moving back towards the boat, vaguely gesturing to your garments.

"Let me get rid of this thing so we can talk properly, okay?"

From his privileged spot in the sea, Clyde watches as you carefully climb back into your boat, the body that visited his dreams gradually coming into view. Your black coverings hide your torso and arms but it leaves your legs uncovered. To Clyde's shameful delight, your suit rises just a bit over the place where your legs come together - or a butt, as he'd heard humans call it - and he has to bite back a groan at the sight.

Out of his view, Clyde can only guess what you're up to by the noises you make while rummaging inside.

"Just a sec, Clyde! I've got a surprise for you."

"A surprise?"

"Tah-dah!"

Clyde can only stare at you, the wind knocked out of him for the second time in less than an hour.

"So? Do you like my new earrings?"

 _Earrings?_ The pearls he gave you that night!

"Clyde? Are you okay?", you frown looking down at him.

If he could, Clyde would tell you that yes, he _like_ s your new earrings. Yes, he _likes_ seeing you wear something he gave you. And yes, he _likes_ that, even though he knows you're unaware of it, you're wearing something that says you've accepted his offer of courting. But, unfortunately, his closed throat and leaden tongue can only croak a weak-

"Beautiful. You look beautiful."

A bashful smile is your reply. "When I got home I couldn't stop thinking about you. I kept your pearls under my pillow and every night I'd stare at the ceiling, wondering where you'd be. When I couldn't stand my thoughts anymore I'd reach under the pillow to check if they were really there. Your gift was the only thing I had to make sure I hadn't made you up in my head, how silly is that?"

"I thought about you too. So much." He swallows, before pressing his lips together and pushing out a soft "thank you."

"What for?" you hesitate.

"For doing this. For coming back." _To me_.

"I couldn't stay away." Your eyes hold his captive as you lick your lips. "Can we go back to that island? I want to show you some things I brought from my place. I think you'll like them." Maybe it's his imagination, but Clyde sees your cheeks tinting a little as you peer back at him from under your eyelashes.

Pondering your words, Clyde considers his options. "Actually, there's a place I'd like you to show you," he grins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you leave a comment, merman clyde will visit your dreams ;)


End file.
